The district serves most, but not all, of the city of Paducah; significant areas within the city limits (mostly in the west) lie in the surrounding McCracken County school district.
The district, founded in 1864, currently educates slightly over 2,900 students in six schools, with approximately 240 teachers and a roughly equal number of support staff.
[1] The Paducah and McCracken County districts have a joint open-enrollment policy which permits any student in McCracken County to attend a public school in either district without tuition charges.
About 300 residents of the McCracken County district currently attend Paducah schools.
[1] The old Cooper-Whiteside building is now occupied by the Choices Educational Center as the city alternative school.